Published 6:00 am, Sunday, December 19, 2010

Honoring our nation's patriots and military heroes is something Susie Starnes learned when she was a little girl.

"My father, Thomas Kincaid, joined the Army before 1941 and was stationed in Corregidor. He was there when it fell and was taken as a prisoner of war in the Philippines, then was moved to Tokyo where he was when the prisoners were released."

Starnes remembers hearing about her father's time as a POW.

"He always said that the atomic bomb saved his life," she said.

A large man, Starnes said her father was down to 80 pounds when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the POWs were released.

"A doctor told him he would not have lived another week. He said if the bombs had not been dropped, he probably would have been dead before the prisoners were freed."

Her father was Starnes first hero, several more patriotic family members were in her future.

While she was attending Southwestern University in Georgetown, she met her future husband, Charles Starnes. They were married a week after college graduation, and she spent the next 27 years of her life as a Navy wife.

"We have lived in California, Idaho, Hawaii, Connecticut, Italy, South Carolina, Maine, Virginia, Germany and Washington, D.C.," Starnes said. "We counted it up one day and we've lived in 17 houses in that time."

Starnes' husband was in U.S. Navy's nuclear submarine program. He was captain of the ballistic missile submarine USS George C. Marshall (SSBN 654) and served as Naval Attaché to the Federal Republic of Germany. He earned numerous awards, including the Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal and the Navy Unit Commendation.

Starnes also points with pride to the service of their daughter, Emily, who is in the Navy stationed in Italy.

"Emily has been in the Navy for five years and sings with the Navy Band," she said.

Her history of living with a patriot, then marrying a Navy man and having a daughter who currently serves in the Navy, Starnes is looking forward to the Plainview Symphony's salute to the military and first responders Feb. 3.

"The symphony's theme for the year is ‘glorious,' so the February concert will be called ‘Heroic Glory,' " she explained.

To add to the evening's experience, the Plainview Symphony board of directors will expand the published program by adding photos and brief biographies of service men and women, past and present, along with first responders.

"As a fundraising effort, we think compiling and publishing photos and biographies of our heroes will be something everyone will treasure for years to come," Starnes said, adding that the board has decided to accept contributions to fund the project instead of settling on a set amount for the entries.

For information on cost and how to submit a photo and biography, contact Starnes at 806-293-3544. Deadline is Jan. 15.

(Contact Nicki Bruce Logan at 806-296-1362 or nicki@plainviewdailyherald.com. Find her on Facebook.)